Lesson 10: Using Actions

UPDATE: The Atomic Cupcake website, where I get most of my actions, has closed. However, I did find that you can get about 70% of them for free at the following link: FREE ATOMIC CUPCAKE ACTIONS. This is not a link that I have created, but just stumbled across. You MAY have to create a login to get them, but it's worth it. I have downloaded it just fine, and the file includes 109 actions! Unbelievable!

Actions are one of my favorite features in digital scrapbooking. I am very excited to tell you all about them. My favorite site is Atomic Cupcake, which is now closed. But, as I mentioned in the update above, you can download many of their actions for free. There are also many other sites that do actions--there are A LOT of photography actions. I like Atomic Cupcake because her actions are specifically for digital scrapbooking. You can actually create your own elements using them.

What is an action?

Actions are like a macro, if you ever use Microsoft Word. It's basically a set of instructions that are recorded and saved. So you just pull up the action, press play, and wait. You will see Photoshop going through a whole bunch of steps on its own--sometimes it can take quite a while--and then suddenly, your work has all these awesome changes to it.

How do I install an action?

For me, I created a specific folder where I put all the actions that I download. I have a Digital Scrapbooking file, with subfolders like "kits", "templates", "patterns", and "brushes." I also have an actions folder. Once you direct Photoshop to this folder for an action, it will always go there automatically unless you redirect it somewhere else.

So, in order to download it, you may need to unzip the file so that it is an .atn file. Then just place it in a specific place where you need to find it. That's it. We'll go over how to get it from there in a minute.

Where do I get them?

First and foremost, the mother of them all--atomic cupcake. Bless this site. It's changed my world. I have purchased almost every action from this site. As mentioned above, it is now closed. I totally cried. Please go to the link at the top of this post to download 109 actions of hers for free! You will need them in order to do this tutorial.

Another site I go to is Panos FX. (this link will take you right to their free actions) They have some freebies and some for purchase. I have used several and they are really great. They can make some really fun page layouts, though their focus is more on photography than digital scrapbooking itself.

A third place I've gotten actions is thePioneerWoman.com. She's got two great actions for making your photos look FABULOUS.

You can also just do a Google search for actions. My sister is heavily into photography and has purchased some actions from well known photographers. These actions can cost over $40, but I was amazed to see what they could do with a single photo.

How Do I Run an Action?

Below are videos that will show you this entire process, but here are the directions in writing.
In Photoshop, make sure you have the layer you would like to add an action to selected. If it is a shape, you will probably want to rasterize it first. (Just right click on the layer and chose Rasterize). You do not have to rasterize your text, but if you text has a gradient on it or something, its a good idea to rasterize it first.

1. Pull up photoshop and create a new page. Draw a shape and rasterize it.
2. Go to Window and click on Actions to open up your actions toolbar. Mine is usually tabbed with my history bar.
3. On the right of the actions bar, click on the pull down menu button.
4. Select Load Actions, and find where you have saved the action you have.
5. Place your cursor on the second line of the action, where there's a play button. (you may have to pull it down)
6. Press play on the bottom of the action menu and wait!
7. It's also a good idea (and sometimes necessary) to highlight your layer. Do this by holding down the CTRL button, then click on the picture part of the layer. You'll now see dancing ants all around the layer on your page.
8. Depending on the action you are using, you may also need to select the desired color you want in your color picker before starting the action.

Ok--written, it's hard to follow, I know. So I'm doing a video for each of the four types of actions you get from Atomic Cupcake. These are also ones I've personally used a lot, and are all available in the free download.

1. Gold - a total must have! This action doesn't require you to choose a color--whatever you have selected will be turned to gold!
Gold_Action_-_Atomic_Cupcake (click to view)
2. Gemstone- This is an awesome one! Make sure you select the color you want it to be in the color picker before you begin.
Gemstone_Action_-_Atomic_Cupcake (click to view)

3. Torn Paper - The first one I ever bought from this site! I suggest it's your first, too! This is one designed for papers rather than for shapes or text--though it CAN be used that way. There are several others for paper like inked or chalked edges that are really great.
Torn_Action_-_Atomic_Cupcake (click to view)

4. Cast Pewter - There are several actions like this one, that require a black and white image.
Cast_Pewter_Action_-_Atomic_Cupcake (click to view)
Well, that's all for actions. Don't forget to also check the Panos actions and Pioneer Woman actions if you find these are interesting. I use them all!

Can I Make My Own Actions?

Yes you can! I am certainly not capable of making ones like Atomic Cupcake, but the other day I made one because I had a bunch of files that I needed to copy a layer, fill it black, take an outline of the black layer, and then delete the original. So, I opened my Actions panel, clicked "record," named my action, and then just did the steps, pressing the stop button when I was done. Then I could just repeat that action for all the other files. It can be done quite easily!

Lesson 1: Where Do I Start?

Ok. Let’s talk money. That’s what you really want to know, right? What’s it gonna cost me? What do I need? Now remember this: old-school scrapbooking had a cost, too. You had to buy the books. You had to buy the page protectors. You had to buy paper, expensive elements, and don’t forget the expensive cutting and punching tools. You bought the big massive bag to carry it all in.

Well, Digital Scrapbooking has costs, too. In the long run, I think it’s still cheaper and has a LOT less waste—you don’t buy stuff you don’t use all that often. But, you will still have to fork out a bit of money to get started. As you get into it, you’ll be ready and willing to spend more on what you know you need. But to start, there are a few things you’ve got to have.

1. Photoshop. You’ve just got to do it. Take a deep breath. And BUY IT. You will never regret it! (unless, of course, you never use it!) At the very least, Photoshop is a great program for cropping and editing photos, changing the size for emailing, etc. I use this program EVERY DAY, and not just for digital scrapbooking. It’s worth every penny. But—how many pennies? Well—yeah. It’s not cheap. Still, there are a lot of ways to get around paying full price—which I believe is in the $600 range!

 

• Free Trial: If you would like to try out the program before buying it, you can always download the free trial. You can get the Free Trial for Photoshop Elements here. If you want the free trial for the full version of Photoshop CS5 (which I recommend if it's in your budget to buy it) get it here
• Older Versions: You don’t have to get the newest version. CS5 is the newest version and just BARELY came out. I haven’t used it. The differences in versions is slight—you can use an older version just easily as the newest. Using CS4, CS3, CS, or even Photoshop 7, is just fine. You can find these on ebay or search on websites.
• Photoshop Elements: Photoshop also has a “watered down” version called Photoshop Elements. I haven’t used it myself, but for the normal user, it’s just fine. Sure, it doesn’t have all the features that the full version has, but who uses all those advanced features? Elements is just fine for digital scrapbooking. I think you can get it for about $100.
• Student Discounts: If you have a college student in your family—BINGO!! Just have them contact their university bookstore for discounts. They can usually buy it for about $250.
• Ebay: Check Ebay for people selling older versions. Just read carefully and make sure you are not getting an upgrade or a tutorial cd or something—make sure you are getting the actual program. I used the old Photoshop 7 up until two months ago, and it worked just fine for me—even if it DID come out in 2002.

Many people argue that there are cheaper programs than Photoshop that you can use. I don’t know about those programs. That’s your choice. But this blog is about Photoshop, and it really is the best. As I show you tutorials, they will be done in Photoshop CS4, but most of what I teach is the same in older versions.
2. Printing. I will have a later post that goes into a lot more detail about where and how you can print your work in Lesson 11. But let’s just say this for now—printing is, of course, an unavoidable expense in digital scrapbooking. It’s the price you pay for the ease of using a computer and not having to deal with all the other crap. The way I see it, there are basically three ways to handle printing:

• Print it yourself: If you are a lucky rich person who has a great printer, you can print it yourself. If you choose this option, you will need a LASER color printer-don’t use a crappy ink jet! You will also want to buy nicer paper—not just regular cheap printer paper. And you will have to create your pages in 8 ½ x 11 and not the traditional 12x12—unless you have a 12x12 printer and—if you do—can I be your friend?
• Print it page by page: Another option is to pay as you go—print pages as you can afford it. You can go to places like Costco, Sam’s Club, or online places, and print your pages one by one. This is great if you can’t afford to print the whole thing at once. You must buy some sort of scrapbook—even the old traditional ones will work—and after you have printed the pages, just slip them in the page protector. Costco and Sam’s Club allow you to print on 12x12, 8 ½ x 11, 8x8 and other sizes. We’ll discuss actual prices later, but bank on about a dollar to two dollars a page.
• Print it in a bound book: This is the option I use. There are many companies online that allow you to upload your book, choose options, and then they print it and mail it to you. This probably costs about the same, maybe a little more, than printing it yourself. And you have to pay it all at once in a lump sum. My last book cost about $120 to print. But that was 100 pages long! I like this option the best because the books look so nice. Still, be careful. Some online companies charge A LOT for their books. Make sure you shop around for the best deal.

3. Kits and Actions: Again, we will talk about kits in Lesson 8, and actions in Lesson 10 , but here’s the basics. Kits are basically a file full of matching papers, elements, ribbons, tags, etc, that someone creates and sells online. Kits are not necessary for digital scrapbooking, but they make the job MUCH easier. You can buy kits from $2.00 to $15.00, depending on where you go and what you are looking for. In my opinion, they are WORTH it. I never buy the expensive ones—I usually only go as high as $5 or $6 if they are really good or have a lot in them. Remember this though: once you buy a kit, it’s yours. It doesn’t get used up. You can use those papers over and over. And if you want to get rid of it, delete it. No more boxes full of papers and elements you never used! (just file folders…) There are also a lot of sites that have freebies. As you get better at scrapbooking, you start to pick up on what is high quality and what is made by an amateur. Not all freebies are good, so be careful. Still, I’ll show you a few websites that have great freebies in Lesson 8. Actions are more advanced—I use them all the time, but they are by no means necessary. I’m not going to go into what they are right now—they will be covered in Lesson 10.
4. Storage Space: When you start out, you’ll probably be ok. But just know that eventually, if you get really into it, you will probably need to get more storage space. Kits take up a lot of space, as do Photoshop files. Eventually you may need to buy an external hard drive to store all your scrapbooking stuff on. This isn’t so bad—then you can take it with you if you want to scrap at a friend’s house with your laptop. External hard drives cost in the neighborhood of $100. I actually got a terabyte of storage and I love it! (no idea what it cost—it was a gift!)
Here are a few examples of some pages from my first two books. Sorry—I didn’t keep the original .jpg files because I didn’t foresee that I’d need them. But these are just photos of some of the pages. I wanted to show them here because these pages were done in Photoshop WITHOUT buying kits. You can create great and simple pages without putting out money for kits.




















INTRODUCTION:
It’s overwhelming to think about how to get started in Photoshop. It’s a HUGE program, and not particularly user-friendly. It’s not something you can just figure out without some guidance or help, or at least some background knowledge. I already knew Fireworks when I started using Photoshop, which gave me a solid background on vocabulary and basics. But if you are totally new to this, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What I want you to realize is this: If you know how to do FIVE THINGS in Photoshop, you are ready to start digital scrapbooking. From there you can learn and improve more, but these five things will get you started. In lessons 2-6, I will be discussing these five things. They are:
1. How to open and manipulate files in Photoshop
2. How to manipulate layers
3. How to manipulate photos
4. How to add text
5. How to change layer styles
Lessons 2-6 will address each of these five things. Continue reading realscrappy! From here on out, make sure you own Photoshop and are ready to actually try what I’m teaching!